What's in the Box?
by RumbleintheDumbles
Summary: After a heated dispute, Team RWBY decide to find the answer to one of Remnant's biggest unanswered questions...


**A/N: A question that plagues the fandom finds it's way in-universe.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. I own nothing.**

* * *

"For the last time, it turns into a battle-suit!" Yang argued.

"No way," Ruby shook her head defiantly, "It's a rail-gun. It _has_ to be a rail-gun!"

"And I'm telling you you're _both_ wrong," Weiss stamped her foot, "It's obviously a puppet she can control with her semblance!"

Blake sighed in irritation from her bed, where she was trying, in vain, to get some sleep. The night had started out so well. They'd sat in, watched a movie, ate some snacks, and discussed the highlights of the fight against the Grimm in the city the day before. Blake had decided to try and get some sleep when the discussion didn't seem to be abating.

That was when things started to go wrong.

It started when Ruby, after a bout of serious fan-girling over Coco's weapon ("SO MANY BULLETS!"), innocently pondered exactly _what_ was in that box Velvet carried around.

Yang had voiced her suggestion that it turned into a mechanical, dust-powered battle-suit that gave her massive power and durability.

Ruby had disagreed, thinking it was something more along the lines of Coco's weapon and unfolded into a high-powered rail-gun.

Weiss seemed to think it was related to her semblance and that it was a puppet she could control through her power.

Blake had little interest, and so when asked, had absently suggested that there was another box hidden in the box. The concept had nearly blown poor Ruby's mind.

Then the other three had started arguing. And continued arguing for about ten solid minutes.

"Hey," she tried to speak as she sat up. They didn't hear her. She took a deep breath; **"HEY!"**

The other three paused, and turned to look at her.

"Why don't we just ask her tomorrow?" Blake suggested reasonably, "Then we'll find out and there's no need to argue."

Their faces all lit up.

"That's a great idea!" Yang agreed, "Then I'll get to see your faces when you find out that I'm right!"

"You mean _your_ face, when we find out that _I'm_ right," Weiss retorted.

"None of you will find out who was right if you start arguing again," Blake twitched, "Because I swear that if you keep me up any longer tonight with this nonsense _I'll_ _murder you all with my bookmark!"_

They stared at her, until Yang found the courage to ask.

"How could you even-"

"Former terrorist," Blake snapped, "The 'former' part is _very_ dependent on how much sleep I get before Nine AM!"

"Going to bed, going to bed, _going to bed!_ "

* * *

"Velvet!" Blake called out to her fellow Faunus as the rest of her team waited eagerly, "Can we ask you something?"

The brown-haired girl gave a confused smile. "Oh, hello, Blake. What do you need?"

"We were wondering," Blake motioned to the rest of her team, "What it is you've actually got in that box."

Velvet suddenly looked furtive. "Ah... well... I'm sorry, but I'm not really supposed to say. It's meant to be a secret."

"A secret?" Blake repeated.

"With all the other teams around for the tournament, it's a trump card," Velvet explained, "So we don't want it getting out what my weapon is."

"Oh," Blake nodded, "All right, that makes sense. See you later, then."

"If that's all, then bye!" Velvet waved as she wandered off.

There was a moment of silence.

"...So are we just giving up like that-"

"Of course we're not," Blake interjected, "We're going to find out what's in that box. I need to resolve this."

"We could try and get it out of her team-mates?" Weiss suggested.

"Worth a try, yeah."

* * *

After a short time spent looking, they finally found one of Velvet's team-mates.

"Isn't that Fox?" Weiss pointed out.

"Yeah, it is," Blake agreed, "So, we need a plan. How are we going to get it out of him?"

"We could ask him?" Ruby suggested innocently.

"It didn't work with Velvet, why would it work with Fox?" Weiss argued back, "We could bribe him."

"Not a bad idea," Blake nodded appreciatively.

"Really, girls," Yang cracked her shoulders, "Let _me_ show you how to get information out of a boy."

"Uh, Yang, I don't think that's going to... work," Blake sighed as the blonde had already gone ahead.

* * *

"Hey, Fox!"

The orange-haired young man turned his head. "Yeah? It's... Yang Xiao Long, right? You're part of the team we relieved during the Grimm attack."

"That's right," Yang agreed.

"So what can I do for you?" he asked.

She leaned forward. "I'm here to settle a dispute and I really, _really_ need your help," her tone turned a bit more suggestive, "You see, we _really need to know_ just what it is Velvet keeps in her box..." she fluttered her eyelashes, "If you could help us out, I'd be _so_ grateful."

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Are you _really_ trying to seduce the information out of me?"

"Yep," Yang admitted shamelessly.

He paused, "Huh," he nodded appreciatively, "Well, nobody can say that you're not ballsy. I'm going to have to point out a couple of problems with that plan, though."

She blinked. "What?"

"First of all," he pointed at his eyes, " _Blind._ I'm sure you might have something very special in the store window, but it doesn't mean a thing when your customer can't look through the glass."

"Ah," she said, suddenly feeling a lot less intelligent than she had several seconds ago.

"Second of all," he continued, "Think hard about what you're trying to do here. You're competing against Coco. _Coco._ "

* * *

"Well, Femme-Fatale," Blake said dryly, "That went well, didn't it?"

"How did you even hear?" The defeated-looking Yang asked glumly as she trudged back to the waiting group.

"It's almost as if I have four ears," Blake pointed out.

"By your conversation, I'm guessing that didn't work," Weiss sighed.

"You still haven't told me what Yang was going to do," Ruby frowned.

The other three shared a look.

"We'll tell you when you're older," they said in unison.

* * *

"There," Blake pointed out, "There's Yatsuhashi. He's Velvet's partner, so we're going to have to play this one more smoothly," she turned around, "Weiss, go throw money at him."

Weiss rolled her eyes as she started heading towards her target. "Fine. Just leave it all to me. Honestly, if you want anything done right... hello? Yatsuhashi?" she called out.

He stopped walking and turned around, allowing Weiss to catch up to him.

She looked up at his face as she got closer.

And up.

And up.

And up.

 **"Yes?"** the enormous, towering figure above her asked calmly.

"I..." Weiss gulped, "I..."

 **"Yes? What is it?"** He leaned forward in curiosity, casting a shadow over her entire body.

"I-must-have-had-you-mixed-up-with-someone-else-bye!" Weiss cried as she ran off back to the group.

* * *

"Okay," Blake sighed, "Coco is our last chance, here. You two," she glared at Yang and Weiss, who looked down in shame, "Have already bungled two opportunities, so this time it's Ruby's turn."

"Okay," Ruby looked unsure as she cast a glance over at the leader of team CFVY, who was browsing in one of the newly-reconstructed fashion boutiques, "But... what am I supposed to do?"

"It's simple," Blake informed her, "You just go over there, looking as much like a kicked puppy as you possibly can, and ask her what's in Velvet's box."

"You're too little and cute to say no to," Yang agreed, "It's foolproof!"

Ruby still looked unconvinced. "But how do I do that?"

Blake thought it over for a moment. "Imagine I'm kicking Zwei. Repeatedly. In the head. With steel-toed high heels, sharpened until they..."

After about a minute, Weiss shook Blake by the shoulder, breaking her out of her rambling. "W-wha?" she muttered, looking around in surprise.

"I think you've done it," Weiss said dryly as she pointed at Ruby, who looked horrified – her bottom lip was trembling and her eyes were shining with un-shed tears.

"Oh. Right. Er, yes, that's what I was doing," Blake agreed hastily.

"Okay, Ruby," Yang patted her little sister on the back, "Go do it."

* * *

Ruby hesitantly approached her fellow team captain, desperately trying to get the images Blake had graphically provided her with out of her head.

"Um..." she began shyly, "Hello?"

Coco turned around. "Huh?" She tilted her head, "Oh, it's you. Ruby Rose, right? You're the team leader who was on the spot when the Grimm rolled in," she folded her arms, bringing her bag to the fore, "So, what do you need?"

"Uh..." Ruby felt her eyes involuntarily following the bag as it gently swung on its handle.

 _Remember Ruby, ask about Velvet's box. Don't get distracted by the Minigun._

 _But it's a Minigun..._

 _No, no. Stop. Velvet's box._

 _Minigun. Minigun._

 _Velvet... has a box? I think?_

 _Minigun. Bullets. Bullets everywhere._

"CAN I SEE YOUR MINIGUN?" Ruby finally blurted out with starry eyes.

* * *

Blake slapped a hand to her forehead. "Damn it, we _really_ should have seen that coming."

* * *

It was a rather defeated-looking team who had found themselves sitting outside the school grounds later that day.

"Well, this was officially the _least_ successful investigation we've ever taken part in," Blake dead-panned, "Well done, team RWBY."

"We've only ever even been involved in _two_ other investigations," Weiss pointed out glumly.

"And considering one had a giant robot trying to kill us and the other involved a Grimm invasion of Vale, putting it below those two is pretty bad," Ruby said dejectedly.

"Now we'll never find out who's right," Yang frowned angrily, "Let's just go back to the room."

"You three go on ahead," Blake told them, "I want a chance to finish reading this book in peace."

"Okay then," Ruby nodded as they turned to leave, "See you back at the dorm, Blake!"

Blake enjoyed a period of blissful silence – that was eventually interrupted by the humming of a very familiar voice.

 _'No way.'_ Blake watched, stunned at her good fortune as she observed Velvet cracking her shoulders and apparently preparing to practice.

The other Faunus hadn't noticed her – while Velvet, due to her shared heritage, had comparable improved senses, Blake had spent a large part of her life learning how to go unnoticed, even from other Faunus.

Velvet, totally unaware that she was being watched, lifted the latch on her box, unfolding it...

Blake nearly dropped her book. The words that actually gave away her position came out involuntarily.

"Oh, you have got to be f***ing kidding me."


End file.
